‘Walking Dead’ Stuntman Dies After Season 8 Production Injury

The Walking Dead isn’t generally known for practical stunts, but with Season 8 gearing up for “All Out War,” it stands to reason physical action would increase. As such, the unfortunate hospitalization of stuntman John Bernecker has necessitated Season 8 production take a temporary hiatus.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bernecker was rushed to the hospital with a serious head injury Wednesday after falling twenty feet onto a concrete set. He was taken to Atlanta Medical Center for intensive care, after which the series opted to “temporarily shut down production.”

UPDATE: According to TMZ, 33-year old Bernecker passed away after time spent on a ventilator. He was surrounded by friends and family, as well as his girlfriend, a fellow stunt performer on The Walking Dead.

Said AMC:

We are saddened to report that John Bernecker, a talented stuntman for The Walking Dead and numerous other television shows and films, suffered serious injuries from a tragic accident on set. He was immediately transported to an Atlanta hospital and we have temporarily shut down production. We are keeping John and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

We have been informed of a serious injury to a SAG-AFTRA member on the set of The Walking Dead and are investigating the situation. As always, the safety and security of our members and others on set is of crucial concern to us and we are focused on this in our investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the performer and his family.

It remains unclear if the production shutdown will in any way impact The Walking Dead Season 8’s Comic-Con 2017 plans next week, but best wishes to Bernecker in the meantime.